


A Leader's Duty

by Destinee Zara (LadyDestineeZara)



Series: Shiro Week [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: All characters (except Pidge) are 18+ unless told otherwise, Fighting in a arena, Gen, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 11:16:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8622484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDestineeZara/pseuds/Destinee%20Zara
Summary: Shiro knew that it was stupid to try to stand, but he also knew that Voltron alone could not fight against a whole Empire.Voltron was just the leader of the biggest change.And as a leader, it must give examples.Being a hero was making very stupid things without freaking out.(Written for the second day of the Shiro Week hosted by blackpaladinweek.tumblr.com, theme "Champion/Leadership")





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!
> 
> Welcome to the second day of the Shiro Week hosted by blackpaladinweek.tumblr.com, theme "Champion/Leadership"!
> 
> THIS STORY IS UNEDITED! So, pardon any English mistakes (let me know if you find any). Also, Engrishi is not my first language, so forgive my mistakes if I don’t Engrishi well.
> 
> I don't know if I'll do all the seven days, but I'll try my best!
> 
> Just one little note before you start reading:  
> \- [Text after dashes] = TALKING (A Romance Language custom, I guess)  
> "[Text between quotation marks]" = THOUGHTS/MEMORIES
> 
> Now, to the story!

Telling himself not to freak out was stupid.

Really, completely stupid.

What good would that bring? He never followed his own good advice! Shiro felt like he always made all the wrong choices just so he would survive. Survive at any costs, no matter how many people he hurt in the way.

Shiro never followed his own advice. At least, not since Kerberos.

Never after Kerberos and all what had happened after.

The prison. The Galra Arena. The blood. The experiments...

Survive no matter what.

Survive no matter what.

Survive no matter what.

A very dangerous thought.

That was why he couldn't freak out.

Survive no matter what.

Don't freak out or you will do stupid things.

Bad things.

Terrible things.

Don't freak out.

Don't freak out.

Don't freak out!

Don't freak out!

**Don't freak out!**

**Don't freak out!**

**DON'T FREAK OUT!**

\- SHIRO!

Keith's desperate shout brought him back to the present, back to that Arena where they were.

The crowd chanted nonstop:

\- Champion! Champion! Champion!

Maybe that was why Shiro was having difficulties in focusing on the present. Because of that echo from a past that he would give anything to forget, claiming for him to become something that he didn't want to be (something that he never wanted to be).

Hunk blocked another attack from their opponent.

\- Hunk! - Keith shouted - Try to keep a steady defence!

\- Roger that, Keith!

Keith held Shiro's face between his hands. Shiro tried to focus on those familiar blue eyes.

\- Shiro! You are here! You are here with me!

The Black paladin took a deep breath and whined.

\- I want to go home...

Keith kissed his forehead earnestly.

\- I know, Takashi, I know. We are doing our best. But we need you. I need you! Please.

Hunk screamed.

\- Keith!

The shout announced an attack that the Yellow paladin couldn't block on his own. Hunk would get very hurt, maybe even fatally.

Without batting an eyelash, without second thoughts or hesitation, Keith moved. A deadly lion defending his small captive pride. Keith raised his sword and blocked the metal tentacle that could have ripped Hunk's arm. On the same movement, he prepare a counterattack. The creature defended, and both paladins needed to stand their ground.

However, the creature had more than two tentacles. A horrible collection of five of them.

There was no way that only two paladins could keep that up for too long.

There was no way they could win like that.

Keith was doing a fairly good job commanding, but he usually took irrational decisions when cornered. Like attacking two tentacles on his own. He was thrown on the ground on his back for his own foolishness, the Galra sword flying from his hand.

Hunk tried to block again, and he was good at blocking. However, he was alone against five, and that was never a fair fight.

Keith was already standing up. He panted and ran for his sword.

\- Shiro! - he called again - We need you!

"We need you."

The team needed him.

The crowd still screamed "Champion!", demanding for something that made him freak out and want to crawl inside his own skin.

But this time he wasn't alone.

But his team, his friends, his family was there with him, and their cries for help became louder on his head.

They needed him. Not the champion, that desperate being moved only for his will to survive.

Him, their leader.

He could freak out later (on their cell, in Keith's arms and with Hunk hugging the two of them).

Now they needed to win.

\- Regroup! - he shouted - Regroup behind the column!

Hunk walked slowly, still defending and making sure to throw the tentacles as far as he could. Keith grabbed his sword and ran. Shiro raised his shield until he was safe behind the pillar. The metallic creature was slow and it would take a few minutes for it to turn around the large column. Minutes that they could use to form a proper plan.

\- What do we do? - Hunk asked frantically - Besides, you know, not getting killed!?

Shiro looked around their hiding place to try to study the enemy. A tentacle almost cut off his head, but at least he could see that it appears that the monster was actually a machine, commanded by someone inside the metallic skull.

\- It is controlled by a small alien hidden inside its head. - he informed his fellow paladins.

\- It is slow between the third and fourth attack. – Keith added.

\- And the attacks are concentrated on the left. – Hunk concluded – Like, only the last tentacles go to the right.

Shiro nodded.

\- So it is simple. Hunk and I do the distraction, Keith do the attack. Hunk, you block tentacles number one and two on the left. I block attack number three and I pretend to go for tentacle number four and five on the right. Keith, you wait and strike its head when the creature is distracted.

Keith nodded. Hunk stilled his shield.

\- On my mark.

Shiro watched the creature try to contour the column to get them.

\- One…

It was almost there, almost near enough to get to Keith.

\- Two…

Hunk winced, but he stood his ground.

\- THREE! GO!

Adrenaline ran through Shiro’s veins. He could see Hunk running ahead of him on the left, while Keith had stayed behind him. He could see more than he could hear or smell or feel.

The crowd roaring.

The five tentacles.

The limits of the Arena.

Hunk blocked tentacle number one.

He stood on it.

Then he blocked number two with the shield.

Shiro watched tentacle number three.

It was getting closer.

He blocked it with his mechanical hand and watched the fourth tentacle twist. The fifth would take a longer time.

Perfect opening at the centre.

Perfect time.

\- KEITH! NOW!

Keith ran past them.

Unstoppable.

Precise.

Lethal.

The Red paladin jumped and went straight for the head in an aerial blow.

Straight to the commanding mechanisms.

The sword destroyed the delicate machine and the tentacles stopped moving immediately.

The little soft gelatinous alien that commanded it squeaked.

The paladins stared at each other.

The crowd went wild.

\- Champion! Champion! Champion!

They only went silent when the Galra lord that was hosting that game raised from the seat.

Shiro was well aware of what would come next.

When he was the Champion, he had no way to avoid the next disgusting thing demanded of him.

As the Black paladin, as the Leader of Voltron, he might stand a chance.

\- Stay around the alien. – he told Keith and Hunk.

The two paladins stared at him without understanding, but they obeyed none the less. They trusted Shiro.

With an amplified voice, the Galra lord demanded:

\- Kill the loser.

The alien squeaked again and covered his head in fear with ten slimy tentacles.

Shiro glared at the Galra.

\- No.

And he throw his sword at the ground.

The crowd gasped.

Keith and Hunk did the same and the people booed.

The Galra lord glared back.

\- Then torture shall it be!

Twelve Galra drones walked towards them with shock spears.

The people laughed.

Shiro watched.

Nobody ever said that it would be easy.

Nobody ever said that it would be painless.

Being a leader was hard.

He sighed and repeated to himself “Don’t freak out”.

The first shock was aimed at the Yellow paladin.

Hunk winced even without receiving the shock.

Shiro jumped in front of him.

It burned his skin and made him convulse for one instant before the drone took it out.

The Black paladin stood his ground.

He panted.

But he was still standing.

He raised his head in defiance towards the Galra.

\- Is this all what you got for me?

The crowd was silent. The Galra rolled his eyes.

\- Again.

This time the shock was aimed to Keith, and there was no way Shiro would be able to take that.

Keith yelped, but he stood. His eyes were closed in pain, but when he opened them, they were full of blue rage and blue fire.

It was possible to see (and almost hear) the fear on the Galra lord.

\- Again!

The shock was aimed at Shiro, but this time Hunk took the spear on his arm.

He groaned before faking a laugh.

\- It tickles.

It was a lie, and the sweat on his forehead was proof of that. But he opened a genuine smile towards Keith and Shiro.

They would all fight that fight.

The Galra was desperate.

\- AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN!

The attacks were brutal and nonstop. They all received a lot of shocks and they were not smiling of taunting the enemy.

But they were still standing.

Shiro knew that it was stupid to try to stand, but he also knew that Voltron alone could not fight against a whole Empire.

Voltron was just the leader of the biggest change.

And as a leader, it must give examples.

Being a hero was making very stupid things without freaking out.

Suddenly, the shocks stopped.

With many difficulties, Shiro raised his head again.

The crowd gasped one more time, but Shiro was not paying attention to that.

A Galra druid was whispering something to the lord. The lord didn’t seemed pleased.

\- Take the prisoners back to their cell! – he ordered the armed droids.

Shiro raised his hands, but kept his head held high in defiance. Keith and Hunk did the same.

Only when the cell door was closed behind them, that Shiro allowed himself to freak out.

\- I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!

He kept repeating and crying like a baby.

Keith hugged his knees and cried too.

Hunk was sobbing and he was the one hugging them all together.

All the pain, all the despair, all the fear came back, almost suffocating all of them with it heavy hands and dark intentions. It was too much for words, too much for anything but tears and trembling hands looking for support.

Shiro repeated “I’m sorry” nonstop, but not even he could understand the words leaving his mouth anymore.

They bundle up in a pile and cried and cried and cried.

They cried until they all were exhausted and passed out.

Shiro was the last one to wake up and he wished he hadn’t.

He groaned in pain.

\- Heck…

\- I think you are allowed to curse in this situation. – Keith said, while still running his fingers though Shiro’s hair.

Hunk was by the door.

\- I counted the patrols. – he informed Shiro – There will be another shift change in about one hour.

Shiro sat and stared at them.

\- That is great, but we need a longer interval to go around looking for our Lions.

He paused and bit his lips.

\- About yesterday…

\- We did what we needed to do. – Keith said with a stony voice.

\- I still got us all hurt…

Keith rolled his eyes, punched his arm half-heartedly and hugged him saying:

\- You idiot.

Hunk chuckled.

\- What Keith is eloquently trying to say it that we understand why we needed to do that. – he smiled – You made the right call. We trust you, Shiro.

Shiro felt his eyes water and a smile on his lips.

\- I hope to continue to be up to your expectations.

Hunk beamed.

Keith kissed his lips.

\- What is the plan, Shiro?

Shiro took a deep breath.

For once, his mind was clear while he explained the plan to his paladins.

**Author's Note:**

> Making off of this story:
> 
> IT IS STILL THE 21TH OF NOVEMBER IN SOME TIMEZONES!  
> I TRIED, THEREFORE YOU CAN'T CRITICIZE ME!
> 
> AHEM!  
> Anyway, this was supposed to be shorter AND to be finished sooner, but college got in the way (finals, you know).  
> Tomorrow it will be shorter i guess...
> 
> In case you haven't gotten the plot: Shiro, Hunk and Keith were captured by the Galra. They lost their Lions and were forced to fight on the Arena. Allura, Coran, Pidge and Lance are working on getting them free and they are working on recovering their Lions and escaping.
> 
> I know... this is not a very good work... I tried to put both themes, but I feel like it was not _thaaaaat_ good...  
>  And is completely unedited...  
> But again: **I TRIED, THEREFORE YOU CAN'T CRITICIZE ME!**
> 
> Sorry, I'm tired. It is 3 am and I have class tomorrow.  
> Fuck me. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed it! Leave a kudo and a comment if you liked this story s2
> 
> I'm on tumblr if you want to find me! (I'm kinda awkward, but yeah...).  
> [@wonderland-s-angel](wonderland-s-angel.tumblr.com). I swear that I don't bite, I'm just a dork with a pink blog.
> 
> Comments help me to get going, you know. Like, SERIOUSLY, they keep me going.
> 
> I hope I’ll see ya tomorrow =3
> 
> Bye-bye! o/


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